Page 100 of Toxic Salvation
I cue up a video feed and turn the screen so Ihor can see. “Recognize that house?” I ask. “You should. I believe you bought it last year for your latest little side piece. Didn’t you name this club after her? Simone, right?”
Ihor is staring at the screen, frozen to the spot. “What the hell is this, Kovan?”
“You were always a fan of fireworks, weren’t you, Ihor? You’re gonna love these. Three… two… one… There she goes.”
The sound is understated, given that we’re only watching the live feed, but there’s nothing understated about the explosion that takes down the entire house. All eighty acres, forty million dollars’ worth of prime real estate.
Gone in the blink of an eye.
On the heels of the explosion, Ihor leaps to his feet, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.
I didn’t think it would be all that fun to watch.
Turns out I was wrong.
I get to my feet and pocket my phone. “Secrets certainly have a way of being exposed, now, don’t they, Ihor?” I wink at him. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to uncover a few more. Enjoy the rest of your night.”
I turn toward the door, but Ihor’s response stops me cold.
“You think blowing up some real estate scares me?” His recovery is faster than I expected. “You think I don’t have insurance? You think I don’t have ten more properties just like that one? You think Icare?”
I turn back around slowly. “No, Ihor. I think you’re missing the point entirely.”
“Which is?”
“The point is that I found Simone. I found her house. I found her schedule. I found her yoga class, her grocery store, her favorite restaurant.” I pause, letting that sink in. “I found her kids’ school.”
Now, his face goes completely white.
“That’s right,” I continue. “Little Simone has two kids, doesn’t she? Cute kids. Eight and ten years old. They walk to school every day. Same route. Same time.”
“You wouldn’t?—”
“I wouldn’twhat?” I interrupt. “Touch innocent children? You’re absolutely right. I wouldn’t. But you seem to have forgotten thatyou’rethe one who brought children into this game.You’rethe one who had Yana threaten Vesper while she’s carrying my child.You’rethe one who sent me a baby onesie as a message.”
Ihor’s mouth opens and closes like a fish.
“So, here’s what’s going to happen,” I continue, my tone conversational. “You’re going to call off whatever game you think you’re playing with my family. You’re going to stop using Luka as a pawn. You’re going to convince Yana to sign over her parental rights voluntarily. And you’re going to disappear from my city for good.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then I’ll do to you what you’ve been threatening to do to me. I’ll take away everything you care about. Starting with Simone and her kids, and working my way down the list.”
The truth is that I would never hurt children. But Ihor doesn’t know that. And right now, his fear is the only thing keeping my family safe.
“Think carefully,” I tell him. “It won’t be long before the gloves come off.”
I don’t wait for his response. I stride out of that gaudy room, through the strip club, and into the night air where Pavel is waiting by the car, smoking a cigarette.
“How’d it go?” he asks, his leg bouncing with all the unspent anger.
“Better than expected,” I tell him as I get into the driver’s seat.
As we pull away from Simone’s, I catch a glimpse of Ihor in the rearview mirror. He’s standing on the roof of the club, watching us leave.
Good. Let him watch. Let him remember.
Because the next time he threatens my family, there won’t be any warnings. There won’t be any negotiations.
